Retired Mossad Agent Convicted for False Reports

A retired Mossad agent was convicted Thursday of embezzlement and fabricating intelligence in a case that reportedly pushed Israel and Syria to the brink of war.

The former spy, Yehuda Gil, 64, had pleaded innocent, and his lawyer said the man would appeal the majority decision by the tribunal of judges at Tel Aviv District Court.

The court decision, made behind closed doors, did not provide the details of the case.

According to Israeli media reports, Gil told his superiors that Syrian President Hafez Assad was planning a military strike to seize part of the Golan Heights captured by Israel in the 1967 Mideast War.

The information provoked responses in the Israeli security establishment that led Israel to the brink of war with Syria almost two years ago.

During the trial, prosecutors said the false information had “a significant influence on state security” and could have led to a loss of lives.

Gil was arrested in November 1997 after an internal Mossad inquiry raised suspicions that he told his superiors about meetings in Europe with a top Syrian army officer that never took place.

Media reports said the police who arrested Gil found tens of thousands of dollars at his home, which the Mossad had given to him to pay off the Syrian officer.

Gil had retired from the Mossad in 1989 after 19 years but continued to freelance for the agency.

He faces up to 15 years in prison on the charge of delivering false intelligence. The sentencing phase begins March 24.